James w



ilwfrrn STATES GEORGE F. MOIN DOE AND JAMES W. MOINDOE, OF EVERETT, MASS.

MANUFACTURE OF WOOD-GRAIN PAPER, CLOTH, 86C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,657, dated March 25, 1884-.

Application filed May 28,1883. (Specimens) Zo all whom it may concern Be it known that we, GEORGE F. MclNDoE and JAMns W. McINnoE, both of Everett, in

the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Wood-Grain Paper, Cloth, 850., of which the following -is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to paper, cloth, leather,

or other like flexible material finished. to represent the natural appearance of wood, as hereinafter specified, and in the method or process of transferring from wood the distinctive marks thereofsuch as its grain, knots, or othernatural lines or marks to the surfaceof the paper, cloth, leather, 8:0.

It is of course desirable for a great many purposes to represent upon paper, cloth,

leather, and like material a facsimile of natural wood, as a fabric or paper thus prepared can be used for almost all purposes for which wvood veneers are now employed, as well as for cards, stationery, box-covering, &c.

In practicing this process we select the wood design which we wish to imitate or transfer and carefully prepare its upper surface by making it perfectly level, plane, and smooth, but do not finish it by filling the grain, as it is desirable that the slight elevation, depression, and singularities that form it shall be taken as perfectly as possible, and this piece or block of wood thus prepared may be suitably fastened'to a frame. Upon its surface we then apply powdered black-lead, which is well, smoothly,and uniformly rubbed over the same. An impression of the grain of the wood is then taken in wax. An electrotype is then taken from this wax impression in any of the ordinary ways, and of course the characteristics of the wood surface are accurately represented by very slight elevations and depressions upon this eleotrotype. We then means of the electrotype the lines in a darker color, which gives the original wood object its distinctive characteristics or, in other words, we transfer upon paper or cloth which has been previously prepared by tinting to imitate the color of the wood a facsimile or exact copy of the knots, grains, and lines of the wood. The color of these lines should be, of course, the color of the original lines, and the result-is a reproduction of the appearance of the natural wood upon the paper or cloth.

- The uses to which this product can be applied are almost innumerable.

We of course do not confine ourselves to the exact steps of the process herein described in every particular, and can use such modifications thereof as shall be equivalentto such steps without, of course, departing from the nature and spirit of theinvention.

We are aware of British Patent N 0. 3,956 of 1868, granted D. A. V. Michel, which de scribes a method of transferring from composed type, engraved plates, and surfaces to an electrotype by means of paper matrix or mold formed by impressing the composed type or engraved surfaces thereon; but we consider that the same does not contain the essential elements and the various steps of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention,

pression of the grain and lines of the wood by means of wax, as described, then in preparing an electrotype from the wax impression, and then in printing by means of the electrot-ype upon paper, cloth, leather, or other suitable material colored or tinted to the color or tint of the body of the natural wood a fac-simile of the lines or grain of the wood, all substantially as and for the purposes described.

' 2. As an improved article of manufacture,

a woodgrain fabric consisting of paper, cloth, or other 1ike material colored to imitate the color or tint of the natural wood, and having printed thereon a representation of the lines or grain of the natural Wood, obtained by taking an impression of the grain and lines of the Wood by means of Wax, then preparing an electrotype therefrom, and then printing upon 

